DETAILED ACTION
In Reply filed on 06/05/2026, claims 1-13 are pending. Claims 12-13 are withdrawn based on the restriction requirement. Claims 1-7 are currently amended. Claims 1-11 are considered in the current Office Action.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Previous Objections/Rejections
Previous claim objection is withdrawn in view of the Applicant’s amendment.
Previous claim interpretations have been modified based on the Applicant’s amendment to the claims.
Previous 35 USC 112(b) rejections are withdrawn based on the Applicant’s amendment to the claims.
Previous 35 USC 103 rejections have been withdrawn based on the Applicant’s amendments to the claims. However, new rejections have been established.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/17/2023 and 07/09/2025 were filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Interpretation
The Examiner wishes to point out the application claims are directed towards an apparatus and as such will be examined under such conditions. The material worked upon or the process of using the apparatus is viewed as recitation of intended use and is given patentable weight only to the extent that structure is added to the claimed apparatus (Please see MPEP 2112.01 and 2114-2115 for further details).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-8 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by US2020/0183270 (Okada).
Regarding Claim 1, Okada teaches an imprint apparatus (Figure 1) that forms a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold (abstract and [0001]), comprising:
a substrate holding unit (Figure 3B, substrate holding unit 61) including a plurality of holding regions (Figure 3B, the plurality of holding regions 64a-64c) whose pressures to the substrate are independently controlled ([0043] and [0046]), and configured to hold the substrate on the plurality of holding regions (Figure 3B and [0045], substrate holding unit 61 holding the substrate 5);
a control unit (Figure 1, control unit 14) configured to:
obtain, before the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are brought into contact with each other (Figure 4A and [0066], step S101, the condition of an imprint process are input by user prior to the starting of the process, thus, the mold and imprint material are not yet in contact with each other), first information (Figure 4A and [0066], first information is equivalent to the condition of an imprint process input by user prior to the starting of the molding process) about a pressing force to be applied to the mold when the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are brought into contact with each other ([0067],the condition of the imprint process includes the pressure valved of each holding regions);
determine, based on the first information (Figure 4A and [0066], first information is provided by user input), respective pressures between the substrate and each of the plurality of holding regions ([0058]-[0060], information input by user is then transmits and output to the apparatus where the condition includes the pressure valved of each holding regions); and
control the respective pressures between the substrate and each of the plurality of holding regions to the determined respective pressures in a state in which the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other such that deformation that occurs in the substrate due to the pressing force falls within an allowable range (Figure 4A, [0046], [0075], and [0098]).
Regarding Claim 2, Okada teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control the respective pressures between the substrate and each of the plurality of holding regions ([0046] and [0075]) such that the substrate becomes flat in a state in which the mold and the imprint material on the substrate are in contact with each other, and the pressing force is applied to the mold ([0046] and [0075]).
Regarding Claim 3, Okada teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control the respective pressures between the substrate and each of the plurality of holding regions such that in each of the plurality of holding regions, the pressure between the holding region and the substrate balances the pressing force ([0046] and [0075]).
Regarding Claim 4, Okada teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit ([0105]) is further configured to obtain second information about a contact area between the mold and the imprint material on the substrate ([0026], the mold moving unit 42 moves the mold holding unit 41 (the mold 3 ) in the Z direction, in order to bring the mold 3 into contact with the imprint material on the substrate 5 , or separate the mold 3 from the imprint material on the substrate 5) in a state in which an entire pattern surface of the mold is in contact with the imprint material on the substrate ([0073] and [0103]), and
wherein the control unit is configured to determine the respective pressures based on the second information such that the deformation that occurs in the substrate due to the pressing force falls within the allowable range ([0061], [0075], [0098], and [0105]).
Regarding Claim 5, Okada teaches the apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in each of the plurality of holding regions, the control unit is configured to control the pressure between the holding region and the substrate to a value obtained by dividing the pressing force by the contact area ([0061], [0073], [0075], and [0105], the control unit controls the pressure of the holding region of the substrate holding unit 61 in the state where the mold 3 and the imprint material on the substrate 5 are in contact with each other).
Regarding Claim 6, Okada teaches the apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit is further configured to obtain third information about a position deviation of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit with respect to the substrate holding unit ([0074], the alignment optical system 10 detects the difference in position between the alignment mark formed on the substrate 5 and the alignment mark formed on the mold 3 in the direction of each of the X-axis and the Y-axis), and
wherein the control unit is further configured to determine the respective pressures based on the third information such that the deformation that occurs in the substrate due to the pressing force falls within the allowable range ([0075], the controller unit then perform correction to the shape using different pressure for each holding regions based on the information obtained by the alignment marks).
Regarding Claim 7, Okada teaches the apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a measurement system (Figure 1, alignment optical system 10) configured to measure a position of a mark provided on the substrate and a position of an outer edge of the substrate ([0074]),
wherein the control unit is configured to obtain the position deviation from the position of the mark and the position of the outer edge, which are measured by the measurement system ([0074]-[0075]).
Regarding Claim 8, Okada teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of holding regions are concentrically defined regions (Okada, Figure 3A and [0103], the plurality of holding region 64a-64c of the substrate holding unit is concentrically divided to correct the radial distortion of the substrate).
Regarding Claim 11, Okada teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of partitions (Figure 3B, a plurality of partitions 63 a, 63 b, and 63c) of the substrate holding unit 61 provided in the substrate holding unit to define the plurality of holding regions ([0043], a plurality of regions 64a, 64b, and 64c partitioned by a plurality of partitions 63a, 63b, and 63c is formed on an upper surface (a surface facing the substrate 5 ) of the substrate holding unit 61), wherein of the plurality of partitions, a partition on an outermost side has a height lower than those of the remaining partitions ([0047]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US2020/0183270 (Okada).
Regarding Claim 9, Okada teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, but fails to teach wherein the plurality of holding regions are rectangularly defined regions.
Okada further discloses the holding region of the substrate holding unit 61 is concentrically divided to correct the radial distortion of the substrate 5, but the shape to be divided is not limited to this example ([0103]). Thus, Okada discloses the claimed invention except for the plurality of holding regions are rectangularly defined regions. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modified the concentrically divided the plurality of holding regions of Okada such that the plurality of holding regions are rectangularly defined region, since it has been held that a mere change in shape of an element is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in art when the change in shape is not significant to the function of the combination. Further, one would have been motivated to select the shape of holding regions of the substrate holding unit based on the shape of the substrate holding unit and the substrate so that the plurality holding unit covers the entire area of the substrate holding unit· See MPEP 2144.04 (IV)(B).
Regarding Claim 10, Okada teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, but fails to explicitly teach wherein each of the plurality of holding regions is a region smaller than one shot region on the substrate.
However, Okada discloses the pressure of each of the holding regions 64a, 64b, and 64c is changed so that the shape of the pattern portion 3 a and the shape of the target shot region coincide with each other ([0075]) and the shape of the target shot region can be expanded or contracted relative to the pattern portion 3a by controlling the pressure of the holding region 64a to the positive pressure or the negative pressure. In addition, the amount of expansion/contraction can be controlled based on the magnitude of the pressure ([0098]). As the pressure of the holding regions is a variable that can be modified, among others, by adjusting said size of the one shot region on the substrate, with said pressure of the holding regions increasing as the one shot region on the substrate increased, the precise size of the one shot region on the substrate would have been considered a result effective variable by one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made. As such, without showing unexpected results, the claimed size of the one shot region cannot be considered critical. Accordingly, one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made would have optimized, by routine experimentation, the size of the one shot region in the apparatus of Okada so that each of the plurality of holding regions is a region smaller than one shot region on the substrate to obtain the desired expansion/contraction of the holding regions based on the desired pressure (In re Boesch, 617 F.2d. 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980)), since it has been held that where the general conditions of the claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. (In re Aller, 105 USPQ 223).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot because they pertain to new limitations and have been rejected as stated above.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to XINWEN (Cindy) YE whose telephone number is (571)272-3010. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8:30 - 17:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Susan Leong can be reached at (571) 270-1487. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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XINWEN (CINDY) YE
Examiner
Art Unit 1754
/SUSAN D LEONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1754
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